Don’t judge a book by its cover, but what about judging by its cigars? BARTENDER Glass of God episode 6 explores old and new characters’ inner battles and how it affects their actions. Here is our review.
BARTENDER Glass of God Episode 6 Overview
Our main character Yukari has news: She’s getting married! Yukari sprung the information on her colleagues and Sasakura, which makes them all apprehensive of her decision. Sasakura makes her an Alexander: A sweet yet strong cocktail.
Episode 6 also introduces two new characters: new manager Hayase and doctor Kimishima. The two have a bad first interaction: Hayase has recently tried to quit smoking, and Kimishima has a lit cigar that she isn’t smoking at all. The disagreement about putting the cigar out leads to Hayase breaking it out of frustration.
The characters have much going on in their private lives. Yukari wants to rush into marriage in order to allow her sick/dying grandmother to see her in a wedding dress, Hayase is trying to quit smoking and dealing with work frustrations, and Kimishima loses a child in the hospital to a serious disease.
Review
This episode is best described as “bittersweet.”
While Hayase and Kimishima make up from the argument and frequently share cigars together at Edenhall, Kimishima reveals she is being sent to a new hospital for two years in another city (the bitter). Though they will not be able to see each other as often (or at all again), Hayase and Kimishima decide to have dinner together (the sweet).
One issue with BARTENDER Glass of God, particularly in episode 6, is that there is no clear sense of time. Hayase frequents the bar, hoping that he will run into Kimishima, but it’s unclear whether Hayase goes every day, once a week or at random. While it is a sweet gesture wanting to apologize to someone you’ve done wrong, it comes off a bit creepy, especially with an expensive (and romantic) gift of Romeo and Juliet cigars. Though Kimishima seems to feel that romantic way about Hayase, it’s easy to see how this could go the wrong way.
Yukari decides not to go through with marriage, as she, and Sasakura, know it’s not the right thing to do. The Alexander was, of course, the perfect choice for Yukari: It was the drink presented at Edward VII of England and Princess Alexandra’s wedding, but also ruins the lives of the couple in Days of Wine and Roses (1962). I love the dichotomy and representation of the Alexander: Something that appears so sweet can turn out to be so dangerous, much like a marriage for the wrong reasons. Sasakura was able to celebrate Yukari’s upcoming marriage with an Alexander, yet convinced her to back out of the marriage, also with an Alexander.
Final Thoughts
BARTENDER Glass of God episode 6 served as a great reminder about everyday people and what we go through. So often we forget that other people around us have struggles that we have no idea about, and we have to deal with our struggles that they also don’t know about.
We also need to trust our intuition. Though Yukari wants to appease her grandmother’s wishes of seeing her in a wedding dress, she knows deep down that she won’t be happy. “The moment someone realizes they are asleep, they are already half awake,” Sasakura says. “Deep inside, everybody already knows what the right choice is for them.”
Perhaps the hardest decisions we have to make in life will be the best ones for us.
BARTENDER Glass of God premieres every Wednesday on Crunchyroll.
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